The WWF Brazil is surely going to raise some eyebrows with their newest print ad campaign titled "Tsunami". I will admit the idea is actually very good, but considering the nature of both events this might not go over to well here in North America. I agree that our planet should be protected I'm just not so sure that this was the best way to advertise it.

The tsunami killed 100 times more people than 9/11.The planet is brutally powerful. Respect it. Preserve it. www.wwf.org

Old Spice continues with their run of some entertaining commercials. The newest addition to their marketing gives us the traditional Old Spice with "Different Scents for Different Gents" with men who smell like men!

Birth Films’s Adam Witten makes the server room sexy for this viral commercial. Originally done with Cisco in mind but they were not pleased and the logo has been removed from this version and is simply known as "Creation Begins"

New York, NY, August 31, 2008: New York based Re:Birth Films director Adam Witten launches the Cisco “Creation Begins” spec campaign, with a stylized new :60 "Creation" creative by The Cricket Club of New York. The spot, bolstering Cisco's claim that their hardware is the backbone of new creations, features Adam and Eve in the context of a server room finding a new view on an old story. The :60 is a 1-spot campaign, which also highlights Cisco's commitment to the human connection.

"Creation" opens on a seemingly sterile server room working silently. The scene cuts to a naked Adam just created on the floor. The parable continues with the servers coming to life, and Eve is born. As the computers work, even the snake is brought into being. With the scene set, within the wires and silicon, the players rush headlong to what appears to be a well known end; the expulsion of Adam and Eve. With Adam given the chance to make the same mistake twice, he decides that it is the human connection that makes creation great, not the technology that make it possible. Credits:Client: Viral re:birth filmsTitles: :60 “Creation”Production Company: Re:Birth Films Films, New YorkDirector: Adam WittenDP: Derek McKaneProducer: Justin HavlikAdvertising Agency: The Cricket Club of New YorkCreative Director: Roald R. van WykArt Director: Your browser may not support display of this image. Robert PascaleEditorial Company: Cosmo St., New York, NyEditors: Your browser may not support display of this image. Justin QuagliataMusic: Born Ruffians - I Need A Life (Four Tet Remix)

UPDATE: September 2, 2009

For Immediate Release For More Information: Tom Squires (323) 761-0310

Cisco nixes Adam Witten’s sexy server room spec.

New York, NY, September 2, 2008: New York based Re:Birth Films newest work “Creation Begins” spec campaign, having made the jump from hugely popular to viral, has garnered the attention of Cisco Systems and has brought intense controversy. Cisco contacted Re:Birth Films on Tuesday and requested that its logo be removed. “I am as surprised as anyone,” said Adam Witten, the director of the spot, “It was never our intent to upstage Cisco - we had a great idea and felt they were a great brand to do a "test" for, if anything we should have been more clear its only a "test" - the response has actually been very positive.” The quality of the spot caused viewers to believe it was an actual commercial, and that it had been created at Cisco’s request.

Working under an unspoken agreement that brands look the other way about test work, new directors and agencies looking for a new direction regularly create edgy and unique spec work. It is used as a calling card and an exploration of new creative ideas. “Experimentation is vital to good creative,” said Roald R. van Wyk VP Creative Director at Publicis Modem. “Brands have so much to gain from test work, like Creation, it can go viral creating an exciting consumer dialog with the brand at the center. It’s worth more then almost any CPM.” When asked about the place for spec work in the industry, Jill Rothman, former Director of Production at JWT, said spec work “gives you the freedom to experiment with creative ideas.”

"Creation" the new and controversial work opens on a seemingly sterile server room working silently. The scene cuts to a naked Adam just created on the floor. The parable continues with the servers coming to life, and Eve is born. As the computers work, even the snake is brought into being. With the scene set, within the wires and silicon, the players rush headlong to what appears to be a well known end; the expulsion of Adam and Eve. With Adam given the chance to make the same mistake twice, he decides that it is the human connection that makes creation great, not the technology that make it possible.

ABOUT RE:BIRTH FILMS Founded in 2002, New York based Re:Birth Films brings award-winning film making to all media platforms. Led by Adam Witten, the company’s imagery graces advertising for the likes of Scion, Geico, and Converse. Known for its holistic and nimble approach to production, the company’s off center visuals and creative have made a place for itself in the arena of new media.

The power of simplicity, presentation by João Paulo Reis Alves and demonstrates why simplicity is important, how powerful it is and how it can be achieved. Not sure that simplicity works huh, pay attention to it's power in the slide when he demonstrates how effectively large companies like Mac and Google have tremendous success with the power of simplicity.It was inspired by John Maeda's fantastic book The Laws of Simplicity, edited by MIT Press.

J20 proudly presents Soft Cell's Tainted Love remixed by Rathergood.com for their latest advert. This is absolutely fantastic, one of the best remakes of Tainted Love I have ever heard or seen. The gentleman playing the balalaika is Bibs Ekkel, and this new band, apparently was formed just for the J20 spot is "Zouk Bizarre".

from the press release:In Communist East Germany during the Cold War, the authorities decreed a Great Talent Contest! Pop Stasi was born! Here is Tainted Love, as it was performed in that glorious setting.

Not sure about taking the time to go to a particular store or restaurant you haven't been to before, well now you can see it with Google Street View before you go. If you are a business owner I hope you are taking advantage of Street View from Google. I find it truly amazing that so many business owners (those with an actual physical location) don't know and haven't taken advantage of Google Street View, or that they haven't harnessed the power of Google Maps for business. This my friends is why Google is what they are today.

Finding a business with Street View just got easier. See pins & info bubbles for business search results without leaving Street View. Look down the street & see nearby related businesses.

NBCNewYork.com commercial campaign features three characters Liz, Ron and Ted who for their respective reasons find themselves staying in the know through NBCNewYork.com. All three spots are included in the clip below, be sure to at the very least view "Ted" (the last of three in the clip) Ted is actually hilarious.

You may have seen the print ads, or even entered the “What’s Your O-Face” contest, and now the brand is thrilled to launch the first-ever television campaign for Three Olives Vodka.The $10 million ad campaign is set to debut on August 31st on top cable channels including BRAVO and E!, supplemented by major online buys with TMZ and Perez Hilton.The ads will feature the brand’s wild and surprising flavored vodka line, where viewers are introduced to a series of situations that one would expect to garner a look of shock, but instead are met with a stoic impression. That is, until the subject tastes shockingly delicious Three-O Vodka.

“The development of our new campaign was driven by research that produced two key findings: first, that consumers felt the fun had been taken out of vodka with virtually all brands scrambling for the same crowded, so-called ‘luxury’ positioning,” said Elwyn Gladstone, Vice President of Marketing at Proximo. “Secondly, the Three-O flavor range has become the benchmark amongst flavored vodkas for its wild, surprising and intense taste experience. These findings are reflected in the hilarious imagery of the new campaign, featuring a series of situations that one would expect to garner a look of shock, but instead are met with a stoic impression. That is, until the subject tastes shockingly delicious Three-O Vodka.”

The television campaign, created by Agent16, formerly Mezzina Brown & Partners, an award-winning New York-based boutique advertising agency, is the brand’s first venture into television advertising. Realized by award winning commercial director Simon Cole, the new campaign expertly depicts Three-O’s brand essence by portraying the simple idea that drinking premium vodka should be fun and exciting.

“Three Olives is the most exciting vodka brand in the market, carving out a niche from our stuffy and pretentious competitors with a single-minded message of being seriously fun,” said Gino Luci, Marketing Manager at Proximo. “We’re shaking up the category through innovation in every aspect of the brand – advertising, promotions and exciting new flavors – and the results are showing. In a market where traditional brands such as Stoli and Absolut are declining, we are seeing very high, double-digit growth. Consumers and the trade are looking for something new and fresh within the most important spirits category and Three Olives is providing just that.”

Ikea and ad agency DDB Germany create the Ikea Recipes collection of print ads. Three favorite recipes are used to promote Ikea kitchen ware. These are just brilliant thumbs up to the creatives behind these, credits below.Each of the ads includes print of a recipe and of course the Ikea products used to create the meals. My favorite of the three is Tiramisu:

1. Pour two packs of cream into a BLANDA BLANK bowl and whip them using a KONCIS balloon whisk. Add the same amount of mascarpone, mix up and put aside.2. Thoroughly mix two full TRIVSEL kettles of espresso with half that amount of coffee liqueur into a FLÄCKIG jug using a FÖRNUFT tablespoon.3. Dip both sides of the sponge fingers in the coffee mix. Layer into a MIXTUR serving dish, then spread half of the cream with SKRAPA rubber spatula.4. Repeat creating a second layer. Add remainder of cream. Top off with cocoa powder using an IDEALISK flour sifter. Put in fridge for at least one hour. Serve, using a GRUNKA spoon of the 4-piece kitchen utensil set.

Sears recently began airing the Sears Blue Electronics Crew commercial with NFL I'm retired I'm not retired Brett Favre who just retired again oh wait he hasn't decided yet. Personally I thought the Sears spot was very boring even with Favre starring in it, so rather than share the ad I came across the Blue Crew outtakes and bloppers version instead.

Exclusive behind the scenes footage as Brett Favre films a commercial with his new team, the Sears Blue Electronics Crew, seriously they really expect us to believe this? This was created using Brett specifically for it to go viral across the internet. Sorry Brett, you were a great quarterback, one of the best but this ad really, I mean really sucks....no wait it's great....uhhh, I changed my mind it sucks.

With the mid November release of 2012 coming closer the marketing campaign takes off, and if you frequent the forums it's freaking some people out. Well, those who can't seem to distinguish fact from fiction anyway. Woody Harrelson's spot was the first we saw for the movie ( see it here )then we had the official trailer release for 2012, which I liked by the way.

Now, 2012 gives us this website, the IHC The Institute for Human Continuity is holding an election disguised as a contest for the new world leader in the post 2012.Release Date: November 13, 2009

Plot:Never before has a date in history been so significant to so many cultures, so many religions, scientists, and governments. 2012 is an epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors.

Google Apps Billboard, preview the billboards in the "Gone Google" campaign. The idea was to have have one giant billboard in four major cities, the Google billboard has a new message displayed every day for a month. Visit www.google.com/appsatwork to get more information about the benefits of "Going Google".

I have recently started using Google Apps and I have to be honest....I've Gone Google along with 1.75 million other companies, that must mean something.

In the Great Ads inbox today comes a social media strategy that works. Pepsi Canada and Proximity Canada enjoy some well deserved success with the Pepsi Joy It Forward campaign.As part of the digital strategy developed for Pepsi in Canada, the website http://www.joyitforward.ca/ encourages people to participate and spread the positive culture and energy of the brand online.

On the site, visitors can explore “Joy Meters” which aggregate content to measure what people are doing online to spread the feeling of joy. Some of the Joy Meters include: Mentions of Joy on Twitter; Results for Joy on Google; Joyous Word of the Day; Bundles of Joy Born today; etc. Check them out here: http://www.joyitforward.ca/joymeter/

Visitors to the site can also play simple Joy-filled games (called Joygles). Some of the games include: Bubble Blaster ; Make an Old Man Smile; Staring Contest; Dance Party Dino; and the most recently added game 3 Card Pepsi. Play them here: http://www.joyitforward.ca/joygles/

To complement the website, a Facebook Fan Page http://www.facebook.com/PepsiCanada was created as a discussion forum on all things Pepsi and a place to play the Joygles. Pepsi also created a Twitter feed http://www.twitter.com/PepsiCanada that provides a steady stream of conversation around the feeling of joy. Online media placements and domination-style ads were also part of the online digital campaign.

Within a week of the launch, the online properties received thousands of visits. Most impressive was the response to the Facebook Fan Page which has grown from an initial 300 fans to over 91,000 fans in the first 3 weeks. In one day alone, the page received over 25,000 fans. Since their creation, the Joygles have accumulated over 35,000 game plays.

Equally impressive, is that in the usually quiet world of corporate fan page Walls, Pepsi fans have been tremendously engaged with the brand with over 9000 interactions to date on the Facebook fan page.

Special thanks to Shari at BBDO/Proximity Toronto for passing the info to us at Great-Ads.

Wyntergrace Williams, daughter of Montel Williams stars in this ad for healthyschoollunches.org promoting The School Lunch Revolution where going vegetarian is a healthy choice. The commercial was produced by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), which quotes a recent Opinion Research Corp. poll that found over 80% of Americans feel vegetarian meals should be available in schools to kids that want them.

The ad is set to debut tonight during ABC Family's The Secret Life of the American Teenager. 14-year-old Wyntergrace Williams also plans urge Congress to amend the Child Nutrition Act to include vegetarian options in school lunches across the nation. You go get em girl!

The documentary film Art & Copy, a film about advertising and the inspiration behind it. The film is about the work and some of the most powerful advertising minds behind it. Director by Doug Pray and the cast includes David Kennedy, Chad Tiedeman, George Lois, Phyllis K. Robinson, Jim Durfee, Mary Wells, Charlie Moss, and features some of the creative genius behind brilliant ad campaigns like: Just Do It, I Love NY, Wheres the Beef?, Got Milk, and Think Different. They managed to grab the attention of millions and truly move them. Visually interwoven with their stories, TV satellites are launched, billboards are erected, and the social and cultural impact of their ads are brought to light in this dynamic exploration of art, commerce, and human emotion.

Believe it or not MySpace has decided to develop a conscious regarding what is too provocative on their site. They recently rejected this ad for a Body Heat promotion, apparently they deemed this too racy. I know I had a hard time holding in the laughter too. The contest seems pretty darn exciting if you ask, the winner will be posted on a billboard in Hollywood and nice check for $10,000, so lets get to all the entries I wanna vote for the hottest body in the world too! The Body Heat TV commercial is below.Here's what Dot Box the digital ad agency behind the spot had to say about the ad being rejected my MySpace:

“Our “Hottest Body in the World” ad promoting Parfums de Coeur’s new Body Heat men’s fragrance is a screenshot from a 30-second TV commercial that will run on Fox TV stations and also appear on Facebook (Facebook). Nevertheless, Myspace deemed the ad “unacceptable” due to its overly explicit sexuality – and odd development considering Myspace’s less-than-prudish reputation.

Admittedly, our campaign for the Hottest Body in the World is sexy. Through social networks, we are encouraging men to submit “hot” photos of themselves to compete for the title. The winner will get their image on a prominent Hollywood billboard and $10k cash.

In the ad, you see the guy’s chest (see attached). But how many half-undressed women are all over Myspace? And what does this say about Facebook’s moral standards, or supposed lack thereof? The standards of this community are notably lax. So why call this ad out?

Myspace’s response has “family values” written all over it: “Shirtless guy ok,” they write, “shirtless guy w/ girl = maybe (bikini or underwear=no), shirtless guy w/ two females, (one of which is about to do who knows what) = not acceptable.”

Thumbs up to DotBox and the people behind this, great work, and here is the Body Heat TV Commercial promoting the HottestBodInTheWorld.com site.

The new PS3 Slim ad from Japan created by Wieden & Kennedy create a really new ad for the Slim featuing nothing but the faces of happy gamers as they enjoy heir PS3 Slim. Be honest you know you've made some of these same faces when you play too.

Molson Coors Canada decided to pull a B.C. billboard saying Coors Light is “colder than most people from Toronto,” after public complaints.

Ferg Devins, the brewer’s chief public affairs officer, said the company will pull about 30 billboards throughout B.C.

“We basically realize we’ve had a misfire here,” Mr. Devins said. “It was a local insight. The intention was kind of playing off an east-west rivalry, but we’re sorry because obviously we’ve offended some people.”

The ad was designed by the Toronto firm DraftFCB, which refused comment on Tuesday. The controversy erupted after Kathryn Gallagher Morton, a Newmarket woman who was upset after she and her son spotted the ad while on a camping trip in B.C., complained to a Toronto newspaper.

‘‘We actually saw the humour in it all,’’ Ms. Gallagher Morton said on Tuesday. “We just couldn’t believe that Coors thought they could acquire customers by insulting them!’’

On Tuesday, Twitter was flooded with hundreds of tweets from upset Torontonians, as well as hundreds more telling Torontonians to lighten up and not to take themselves so seriously.

Soon enough, Molson Coors Canada announced, via Twitter, that it decided to pull the ads, which are part of a Coors Light campaign that encourages people to complete the phrase “colder than...”

Adam Moffat, spokesman for Coors Light, said the campaign, in its 12th week, was scheduled to end in early September, so the beer company decided that they “just ought to pull it down now.”VIA: National Post By Emily SengerAs a Torontonian the Coors Light cold Toronto people billboard did not offend me, where has every ones sense of humor gone.

A new viral video advert to promote Virgin Media 50Mb broadband service Starring Meg Ryan herself, which is a follow up to the "Powerful Stuff" idea. Ad Agency Strident Productions recreated the famous ‘When Harry Met Sally’ diner orgasm scene, but with a slight twist – 50 Megs, instead of one. The video has another twist, in that all the men in the diner thought they were just extras in an advert and literally had no idea what was going on. The reactions are genuine, which seems to have given the spot a funny edge.

The new Scion "xB Splicer" asks us to be an icon and not an imitation in this great new commercial created by the San Francisco based ad agency "ATTIK". For the xB, Scion's urban utility vehicle with an iconic shape, the manifestos are: "Be an icon, not an imitation," "Be the original, not the copy" and "Become one of us by becoming none of us." Music is Face The Music, Bicoastal.

Nike has gone from creating commercials to music videos now too, The Nike music video for Don't Criticize Hyperize stars NBA players Andre Iguodala, Mo Williams, Kevin Durant and Rashard Lewis. The stars take on new aliases for the video as well and they are: Fog Raw, Velvet Hoop, Chief Blocka and Ice-O showin.It will air on MTV, MTV2 and BET. the song Hyperize is the work of DJ QUIK, the lyrics by Brandon Pierce and Mike Warzin.

Ozzy Osbourne stars in another commercial for the Samsung Solstice, this time Ozzy gets a tour of the Samsung R&D department at Samsung head quarters and invited to join a new band with a monkey no less.

In the new Absolut Vodka commercial spot, a group of artists comes together in locations around the world to create art pieces that spell out the philosophy of Absolut Vodka. "See something different in an ABSOLUT WORLD."